by ELISSA SALAMY, The National Desk

WASHINGTON (TND) — According to watchdog group Open the Books, the Pentagon’s latest project will spend up to $3.8 million to care for a species of bird.

“The goals and objectives of the project are to continue to maintain and care for captive Loggerhead Shrikes for release, provide necessary veterinary care and pathology for chicks and adults, and to collect and analyze all necessary biological data,” reads a grant notice from the Department of Defense.

“Since 2007, on a California Navy base, they've spent $10 million caring for a specific species of birds. And now in one fell swoop, the Biden administration wants to spend another $4 million in bird care,” said Open The Books’ Adam Andrzejewski to The National Desk’s Jan Jeffcoat. “It's got nothing to do with national security.”

The project includes “maintaining and caring” for the Loggerhead Shrikes at the Naval Auxiliary Landing on San Clemente Island in California.

“It's a breeding project. So you take these Loggerhead Shrike birds, you breed them, you raise them, you care for the chicks, you give them veterinary care, you release them on the base, and then you track them with all kinds of data, costing taxpayers,” said Andrzejewski.